RICHARD OF CONINGTON

English Franciscan theologian; d. Cambridge, 1330. His name is first mentioned in a document of 1300 when, along with John duns scotus and 20 other Franciscans, he was presented to the bishop of Lincoln for faculties to hear confessions. A doctor of theology, he incepted at Oxford (c. 1305–07) and then became lector at the Cambridge friary (1308–10). He was the 16th provincial minister of the English province of Franciscans (1310–16). He assisted at the Council of vienne (1311–12) and with Martin of Alnwick took part in the great debate with the Franciscan spirituals. At this time also he wrote his treatise on evangelical poverty, Beatus qui intelligit, a work that brought an ironic reply from ubertino of cas ale (see poverty controversy). In 1322 Richard prepared his Responsiones ad conclusiones domini papae, a dialogue between friar and pope regarding difficulties that could arise from the papal bull Ad conditorem cartonum (see john xxii, pope). No trace of Richard's Commentary on the Sentences remains (though L. wadding referred to a copy in the Vatican Library). V. Doucet drew attention to eight Quaestiones disputatae and two Quodlibeta attributed to Richard that include questions on creation, knowledge of God, univocity and equivocity, beatitude, will, intellect, etc. Doctrinally, Richard seems to stand midway between Aristotelianism and Augustinianism. He is quoted by william of alnwick, Godfrey of England (Cornwall?), Robert of Walsingham, john baconthorp, and peter thomae. Richard spent his last years at Cambridge, where he is buried.

Bibliography: s. dumont, "William of Ware, Richard of Conington, and the Collationes Oxonienses of John Duns Scotus," in John Duns Scotus (Leiden 1996) 59–85. s. brown, "Richard of Conington and the Analogy of the Concept of Being," in Festgabe fur P. Dr. Valens Heynck, OFM zur Vollendung des 60 Lebensjahres, Franziskanische Studien 48 (1966) 297–307.

[t. c. crowley]